Indifferent Proximity?
"Did you ever see an amusement park?"
"No, Father."
"Well, go and see an amusement park." The priest waved his hand vaguely. "It's like a fair, only much more glittering. Go to one at night and stand a little way off from it in a dark place- under dark trees. You'll see a big wheel made of lights turning in the air, and a long slide shooting boats down into the water. A band playing somewhere, and a smell of peanuts-and everything will twinkle. But it won't remind you of anything you see. It will all just hang out there in the night like a colored balloon-like a big yellow lantern on a pole." Father Schwartz frowned as he suddenely thought of something. "But don't get up close," he warned Rudolph, " because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald, from Absolution
What does the aformentioned passage imply about the "American Dream", and what is your reaction to this possible modernist (pgs. 523-536 in Am. Lit. text) commentary? Please comment and incorporate specific references to lines from the passage. (Due By 3:30p.m. On Wednesday, Feb. 18th.)
"No, Father."
"Well, go and see an amusement park." The priest waved his hand vaguely. "It's like a fair, only much more glittering. Go to one at night and stand a little way off from it in a dark place- under dark trees. You'll see a big wheel made of lights turning in the air, and a long slide shooting boats down into the water. A band playing somewhere, and a smell of peanuts-and everything will twinkle. But it won't remind you of anything you see. It will all just hang out there in the night like a colored balloon-like a big yellow lantern on a pole." Father Schwartz frowned as he suddenely thought of something. "But don't get up close," he warned Rudolph, " because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald, from Absolution
What does the aformentioned passage imply about the "American Dream", and what is your reaction to this possible modernist (pgs. 523-536 in Am. Lit. text) commentary? Please comment and incorporate specific references to lines from the passage. (Due By 3:30p.m. On Wednesday, Feb. 18th.)
posted by Greg T at Thursday, February 12, 2009
30 Comments:
I think this passage implies that when you see your american dream from a far ways away it seems perfect and amazing, as described in the part about seeing the big wheel made of lights and turning in the air and all the other miraculous descriptions about the amusement park. When you get closer to your dream it gets harder to acomplish, as described by "But don't get up close,' he warned Rudolph, ' because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life." I also think it is describing that when you get progressivly closer to your dream it gets less and less appealing.
I think that the author is saying that most of the greatest things have to be observed from afar to really get the feel of it. I agree with Ryan when he said,"When you get closer to your dream it gets harder to acomplish" this statement goes along well with the moral behind the story. Also when someone expiriences their "american dream" before they are ready it can be too overwhelming to them.
This passage implies that the American Dream can be misleading in a way; that we may envision a dream and fail to see the possible negative outcomes. When looking at our dream, we tend to look at the big picture; the desired outcome. However if we focus in on the details, our dream may not seem as appealing as it once did because we see how our dream can negatively effect other people in order to fulfill our happiness. We might see that we have to make difficult sacrifices in order to accomplish our dream. The priest in the passage says, “Go to one at night and stand a little way off from it in a dark place- under dark trees,” and to me this is implying that it is best to remain in the dark, or unaware of the full details. I think he is saying that by remaining in a dark place, you are kind of blind to the truth about some of the realities of our dreams but still able to see your dream.
I think that this passage has a casent point about the American dream. The Reverend is telling the boy about an amusement park(The American Dream) and describing all of it's qualities and good things. But, he tells him to enjoy it from afar. Because for getting to close becomes just work and chaos. He will end up not even realizing why he is working so hard. He will lose the care in life. The American dream is capable but it takes work and sometimes you will work too hard to get there that you don't know what to do when you do get there.
In this passage i feel that the paster is trying to tell Rudolph about life but in doing so he is using a metaphor to compare life or the american dream to a amusement park. when you see the park froom far away it looks like so much fun and all you could dream of, somewhat like everyones american dream. but when you get close to your american dream you realize its not all you wanted it to be, but its almost a dissapointmen like the priest says. "If you do you will only feel the heat and the sweat of life." I think this implies that it is always better to chase your american dream and live happey while doing it, than to accomplish a small dream and feel dissatisfied.
This passage demostrates That the American Dream is hard to achieve but easy to think is possible. In other words the American dream looks so good from far away intil you try and achieve it. In this passage the author is saying like in many cases with fairs and amusement parks, they look great and fun from a distance but aren't so great when you actually go to them." But don't get up close," he warned Rudolph, " because if you do you'll only feel the heat and sweat and the life." THis passage could also be trying to explain the fact that the american dream doesn't happen for everyone, sometimes dreams and hopes are crushed.
I believe this passage relates to the american dream because people in different parts of the world hear about america, and see nothing but beauty. They hear about all the good qualaties of the United States and none of the bad. From their view, once they make it to america their future is bright (like the ferris wheel) and they will now take their turn to enjoy luxurys and riches. They dont understand how the United States burns the weak (like the ferris wheel), and only some can prosper
In this passage, the man explain about hte wounderful lights and amazing beauty of everything but what i think he is really trying to get across is that when we see something from far away and try to look at it and get closer so get to it , it seems utterly perfect something you have always wanted something that is just your dream but when you do get to that point when you do get there is wasnt what you thought adn everyhting changes , it seems as though all ur hard work was more worth it than the acutal thing its self. see the man was onyl warning the boy to try your hardest to get there but dont be to eager to finish b/c in the end it may not be what u want
I think that this passage shows how some people view america. They think that the can just come to America, get a job, make money, and then get a house, raise their family, and everything will be perfect. I am confused abou the part where they talk about feeling the heat and the sweat and the life. I dont see how feeling life would be bad at all. I think every kid needs to realize that life isnt all its made up to be, and this id needs to expierience it.
This passage implies that the American dream everyone should try to experience the American dream, if that's witnessing it from afar that would be better because if you actually try to capture it then you could "feel the heat and the sweat and the life."
I believe this passage indicates that everyone has an American dream, even if they don’t know it yet. I am essentially trying to say that the American dream is not always a dream, but an experience. When the priest asks Rudolph, “Did you ever see an amusement park?” and Rudolph says “No Father.” This places you under the impression that the priest would like Rudolph to expierence something that everybody should experience at one point or another.
This passage can also imply that even though you may not reach the dream you wanted, the overall experience of obtaining that goal is the actual dream.
This aformentioned passage implies that the American Dream is decieving to the naked eye. So many wonderful things seem close at reach. But when you get there, it is not what it seems. Sometimes it is better that you do not know what you cannot have. That is the motto that F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays. Then the story, "Winter Dreams," has the same idea. Dexter Green is happy in his life until he meets Judy Jones. He becomes obsessed with this girl and sees his vision crumbling in front of his eyes. In a way, he would have been better off if he did not see her in the first place. Like the desires of the American Dream.
I think that this passage implies that the American Dream looks beautiful and easy to achieve from far away, but once you get closer you realize that it isn't as beautiful and simple as you thought, it is tough and hard to achieve. It takes sweat and tears, and pain to achieve. This passage also connects to the text we read in class, like Dorie said. It connects in that he sees what he thinks is a perfect, beautiful woman, however when he gets to know her he finds things that are not so beautiful, or perfect. Things are not always how they appear.
This passage demonstrates how the American dream is devious. While everything seems ideal from a distance, once you reach that certain place, it is never as perfect as it is made out to be. Sometimes in life, we set are expectations much too high, and when these expectations can't be obtained, we feel disappointed or ashamed. The passage reads, "But don't get up close," he warned Rudolph, " because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life." This also could imply that finding your destination is not the dream, instead, the dream is the journey you embarked on to get to that destination.
This passage represents the notion that the "American Dream" is elusive. One may think that they know exactly what they want, yet once they obtain it they will experience a huge letdown. Somewhat of a "buyer's remorse" situation, people's goals and ambitions can be all for naught if they expect too much out of a certain situation. Setting such a high standard for what they want to achieve in life can set them up for great disappointment if they fail. The author seems to be somewhat cynical in his view on the reality of people's goals and ambitions in life. "But don't get up close," he warned Rudolph, " because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life." This line shows that the author believes that the anticipation of obtaining your dream is much better than the moment that you actually achieve it.
I think what this passage is trying to say is that life is like one of those paintings that when you look at it from afar all you see is this beautiful landscape and hundreds of people at a park, but once you get up close you notice that the painting is made out of thousands of tiny dots. It goes from being this seemingly simple painting to an increadibly timestaking, complex, and detailed work of art. In other words your American Dream may seem like such a simple and easy task but once you actually go for it it's much more painstaking and complex then you ever would have thought.
This passage ties into the American dream because it talks about just seeing and not actually experiencing what it is your observing. When Father Schwartz says; "But don't get up close,' he warned Rudolph, ' because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life." he talks about when you have a dream, at first it seems like that is the only thing you can think of. You save up for it, you wait till it arrives. However when the time comes for you to achieve your dream, its not all that you worked it up to be. Sometimes it's more fun to have a dream then to have to dream come true. I agree with Ryan, the closer the dream gets, the less appealing it becomes. It is glamorous from afar like glittering lights or fun music or even tasty treats, but when you get there is it really all that incredible?
I think the passage relates to the american dream because it shows that we sometimes need to step back and look at things from a different angle to gain new perspectives of it, and change our opinions.
This passage implies that the American Dream changes. When you see a dream from a far and it is beautiful you want to go after it. Like when the character sees the big wheel in the sky she wants to go there and be with it. Once she arrives there it is not as great as she thought it was and the dream changes. She doesn't want to be with it anymore but wants to be away so the passage is trying to say that analyze your dream before you cahse it or you could end up disappointed.
I think this passage shows how things may look great from a distance but once you get close it is a total letdown. I would compare this to Christmas, in that around early Decemeber you are getting all hyped up for Christmas, but once it arrives and gets to you, the hype is all gone and you wish you were still looking at it from afar/early December.
I believe that this excerpt relates to the American dream, because, as people, we often times think of the things that we really truly want as being flawless, and perfect in every way, which goes back to the part of the quote that talks about how amazing it is to see the lights and other sights of the amusement park lit up against the black night sky. In the quote it even says that it "won't remind you of anything you see" after describing the place so wonderfully, so it seems so great that it isn't even like anything else that you have ever seen in your life. However when these dreams are finally accomplished, they may not turn out to be nearly as fantastic as they seem, or as the quote says, "don't get up close...because if you do you'll only feel the heat and the sweat and the life." This shows that even something that seems truly perfect from far away, might not be quite so spectacular up close.
This connects to the American Dream by talking about how you can hear, smell, and see amazing places or things. It is part of the American Dream to be able to have a nice house you can see, smell the cooking of a wife when you come home, and hear your kids, the tv or radio. Also in the end of the quote it talks about how life is sensationalized while at a distance, but up close it is quite the opposite of what you think. Also from the Winter story we read it had a close related message to this passage.
I think this is about the American Dream because the priest was warning him that it is dangerous to get to close to things that we might want, because we might not be able to achieve our dreams so it is better to just not know about it so you aren't set up for disappointment. The faris wheel and the fair represent his dreams, and the way that they tell him not to get too close is the way they tell him not to get his hopes up because it is not always possible for you to get what you want.
This passege deminstaraits many asspects of the american dream through the use of the amusment park as an analigy. First off it exaplifies the uniqueness of it by saying it will remind him of nothing he has seen before. Also it shows how the american dream isnt always what it seems and from far away you see all the glamor and glitz butt as you get closer you see, smell and feel the real hard work side of it that is the work for the reward.
I think that the passage implies that the american dream looks really good to those who aren't living it but once you try for it you realize it's so much of a struggle that it loses it's sparkle and it will consume you. Have you ever wanted something so badly that you couldn't think of something else?, and when it finally comes along your expectations were set so high that nothing could touch it. Ths is the kind of example that the father was telling thebot. I think that we as Americans are just looking to be happy. We want it so bad that we don't enjoy our lives in the present. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
I feel as if the aforementioned passage deals with the american dream by exposing the flaws of our society. The american dream in many peoples eyes back then had a lot to do with the opprotunities of the greatness of america. It was something that had never been seen before by the people dreaming of it. It seemed so great until you actually arrived in america. Then you just experienced the work that went into making this country so great. In the story he describes the greatness of the amusement park. Its bright lights and immensity. Just like america back in the day. But then the priest warns that once you experience it, it is not as great as you might have thought it up to be.
I think the passage is showing that the American Dream can be about lights and materistalic things. I also think that it is saying that you should never get too close to anything or you will become to attached and never want to leave. "But don't get up close," suggests that getting to close will ruin what you might have had in the fair. This piece does a good job of representing an odd American Dream
I think this passage talks about how the thought of the American Dream really excites people and it will even make you think it is easy to accomplish, but reaching a dream takes good work ethic and determination. It is so hard to reach a dream if you take a break on it or arent serious about it. If you stick with it, and overcome the obstacles in your way, the journey to reach your dream will come true.
I think that it is a very modernist passage. When he is describing the amusement park he makes it sound great and facinated. But then at the end you learn that for the father it was extremely dissapointing. I dont know what happened to hime but it is obvious that something their was not pleasent. I think it goes along with the modernist idea that your dreams do not always turn out as you would like them. They may seem great but as you get closer to them they aren't as spectacular as they looked in the distance.
I think this passage is talking about the American dream and how different it can seem when you have not reached it. It might look different when you see it far away then when you actually get to it. I think the Aurthur is trying to say not to get your hopes up or don't stick to just one "dream". If you have a variety when you actually get to it your dream will not seem so bad if it doesn't work out. It is good to have a "dream: because if you experience everything when you get to it you will be overwhelmed.
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